


Clean Sheets

by reysrose



Series: Firelillies [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Big Brother Zuko (Avatar), First Period, Gen, Menstruation, Momtara and Dadko, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Period Cramps, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, She's a child your honor let her be cared for, The Beifongs were not up with it on the whole puberty thing, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, minor blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27791971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reysrose/pseuds/reysrose
Summary: Toph gets her first period at a summit in Ba Sing Se, which would be fine if Toph knew what that meant. Luckily she has Katara and Zuko to take care of her
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Katara, Toph Beifong & Zuko
Series: Firelillies [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033284
Comments: 3
Kudos: 181





	Clean Sheets

**Author's Note:**

> I've seen a few of these lately and I decided to try my hand at them!

Toph’s blood starts during the first World Summit in Ba Sing Se after the war, where her rooms are too far from his and Katara’s for them to hear her call for them in terror. Instead, he’s woken by a guard bursting into their rooms with a clatter of armor. 

“What is the meaning of this,” he shouts, half awake and shooting to his feet as Katara wakes with a panicked sound and reaches immediately for her waterskin. 

“Lady Beifong,” the guard says breathlessly, “something is wrong with Lady Beifong.” 

They’re both on their feet, running through the corridors of the Earth Palace barefoot and hand in hand. Katara has water swirling around her loose fist and they burst into Toph’s bedroom ready for a fight. Instead they find one of Kuei’s maids standing nervously by the door to her bathroom, calling for her repeatedly. There’s a bit of blood on the sheets but no sign of a struggle. 

“Lady Beifong, please let me in,” she calls. Toph lets out a strangled sound of fury and terror from inside the bathroom. Katara sighs and her water drops smoothly back into her water skin. 

“Oh,” she says, “Zuko, I don’t think this is an emergency.” 

Zuko looks at the sheets again and his aching chest releases. 

“Thank you, Song, was it? Master Katara and I have it from here.” 

When Song leaves Toph finally opens the bathroom door. Her sleep pants have blood stains on them and her tiny form is huddled on the tile. She blinks up at them, tears streaking her cheeks, and then starts sobbing again.

“Something’s WRONG,” she wails, throwing herself into Katara’s arms, “I’m bleeding- there’s blood- Katara, it hurts!” 

“Oh, sweetheart,” Katara murmurs, “it’s okay. Nothing is wrong. Zuko, can you go get some clean sheets and some clean clothes?” 

“STAY,” Toph shrieks, “Zuko, please don’t leave me please-“ 

“I will be right back,” Zuko murmurs, kissing her forehead. It’s easy to forget that Toph, who’s basically a superpowered earthbending machine, is still a 13 year old girl who spent the first 12 years of her life being neglected by her parents. It’s very very likely she has no idea what’s going on, but he really wants to let Katara deal with the explanation of it. Listening to the Royal Physician attempt to explain it to Azula was bad enough. 

He gets sheets from Song and changes the bed linens. He finds Toph fresh underclothes and sleep pants and knocks quietly on the door to the bathroom. Discreetly, Song hands him a small bundle of clean rags and leaves the room again. He’d heard water running and Katara’s quiet voice below it, but now it’s quiet. 

“I’m back,” he murmurs. Katara opens the door and takes the clothes, kissing the corner of his mouth, then shoos him away. 

Zuko sits on the bed and waits until the bathroom door opens and Toph and Katara emerge. Toph’s hair is damp and braided long over one shoulder, and she’s in clean clothes. She shuffles over to him and he opens his arms, letting her climb into them. 

“My belly hurts,” she mumbles into his shoulder, “Katara says it happens, but it hurts.” 

“I know,” he says, “lay down. There’s a trick for that.” 

Toph clings tighter suddenly, tears wetting his shirt.

“Please don’t make me be alone!” she sobs suddenly. Zuko kisses her temple and gathers her into his arms gently. She’s still so tiny. Maybe, he thinks, she’ll finally grow. Azula did, after her bleeding started. He stands with her in his arms and quietly the three of them make their way back to his and Katara’s rooms. Toph makes herself as small as possible, shaking in his arms. Guards stare at them as they pass and Zuko shoots them hard looks, rubbing Toph’s back absently. 

“No,” Toph croaks, when Zuko goes to put her down on the bed, “NO!”

“Shhhhh,” he murmurs, “Deep breaths. Is it just the pains?”

Toph sobs loudly and then she’s wailing into his chest, one tiny clammy hand pressing against his lightning scar. Oh. 

“Did you have a nightmare?” he asks, as Katara disappears quietly into the bathroom and comes out with a wet washcloth, which she presses to the back of Toph's neck. Together they shuffle into the bed and slide beneath the blankets while Toph cries and clings and her breathing picks up into fear. 

“Alright,” Katara murmurs, “Deep breaths. I know you’re upset.”

“You- You- you’re too- It’s too FAR!” She half shrieks, desperately scrambling closer to Zuko. Katara presses herself against Toph’s back and starts taking carefully measured breaths, trying to coax the girl into deep breathing. They lay there in the dim room, they breathe, they hold each other. When Toph is ready, she rolls onto her back and grabs at Zuko’s hand, putting her head on Katara’s chest. Her face is tear streaked and Katara takes the damp cloth and cleans the tears away delicately, tilting her head down to press a kiss to Toph’s hair. 

“The bedrooms,” she mumbles, squeezing Zuko’s hand, “They’re too far. Too far- and, and I had a bad dream and-” 

“I know,” Zuko murmurs, “We can get them to move you closer if you want.”

“Not just that,” Toph says tiredly, “I had a bad dream about the airships, but when I opened the door I didn’t know where I was and I thought- I thought- I wasn’t sure what was real. Then I felt the blood on the bed and my pants and smelled it and I got scared.”

“Oh, Toph,” Katara murmurs, “Sweetie, I’m so sorry we let them put you that far from us.”

“Why do you think they didn’t tell me?” Toph asks. Zuko knows what she’s talking about and he leans to brush a stray piece of hair out of her face. 

“They wanted to keep you sheltered,” he says, “They went about it wrong.”

“They were bad parents,” Toph yawns. Katara nods absently.

“Zuko?” Toph mumbles. She’s starting to fall asleep again, sandwiched between them like she tends to end up more nights than not, but her legs are kicking around and her face is twisted up. 

“Hmmm?” he asks, warming up his hands because he knows what’s wrong.

“Belly hurts,” she slurs, pressing her cheek into Katara’s collarbone, “Help?”

Zuko presses his warm fingers to her lower abdomen gently, rubbing careful circles with light pressure. Toph is asleep before long, eyelids swollen with tears. Zuko keeps massaging her belly, knowing she’s going to wake up miserable and clingy and furious at herself for her weakness. Toph rolls over in her sleep and presses a hand to his unscarred cheek, unconsciously seeking comfort. Zuko leans over her and kisses Katara goodnight again and then closes his own eyes, surrounded by the parts of his little family closest to his heart.


End file.
